The work Vs work challenge

It seems that if I don’t write about work then this blog becomes a barren wilderness. Or at best, an occasional rather than a regular blog. Fitting in creative, textile-based work around the day job is proving a challenge. The practicalities are part of the challenge. My office is at home (not good for relaxation) while my studio is a mile or so down the road. Having spent a lot of last year at the studio, for the first part of this year I barely saw it and the sewing machine gathered dust while I went to meetings and tapped away on the computer.

I’ve been lucky the last few weeks to have had a student (thanks Kelly!) working with me in the studio a day or two a week. For a while the day job turned into an evening job and happy hours were spent in my wonderful haven of fabric. It’s been so quiet since Origin, back in October, I haven’t had any major new work to start. I’m not exhibiting at any major shows this year (for the first time in 3 years!) so there is no pressing need for more new work and so the inspiration has been a bit lacking. But slowly, slowly I have been working things out. Start small. A batch of new brooches has been born and will be online shortly (the first are here). Other plans are brewing and I’m coming out of hibernation ready for the spring and summer.

Soon, very soon, Sew Eco will be out of my hands and with the publisher and I should have a whole lot more creative time to spend at the studio. More book ideas keep filtering through my brain, but for a while I’m going to let them wait and just enjoy some non-deadline stitching work. And some non-work thoughts getting onto metaphorical paper on this here blog.